Milestone marked on West Suffolk operational hub

A key point in the construction of the new £23 million West Suffolk Operational Hub (WSOH) has been celebrated with a steel signing ceremony on site.

The event to mark the completion of the buildings’ steel frame was held on 8 March and marked the great progress being made on the facility, which is being developed to meet the changing needs for waste management in West Suffolk.

Three partner councils: Suffolk County Council, Forest Heath District Council and St Edmundsbury Borough Council, are involved in the project and will use the site to provide waste services. The state-of-the-art facility is bringing a number of operational services together on one site to save money and to reflect the anticipated growth in population and housing in the area.

Council representatives joined members of the Morgan Sindall Construction project team to sign a special steel plaque which will be affixed to a beam and placed within the building for posterity.

Cllrs David Bowman and Peter Stevens, Cabinet members for Operations for Forest Heath and St Edmundsbury councils respectively said: “Good progress is being made on site by a strong team whose commitment to making this a platinum standard project deserves to be marked. Everyone who signs the plaque will have the satisfaction of knowing this project bears their name.”

Councillor Paul West, Suffolk County Council’s Cabinet member for waste, said: “It’s great to mark this stage in the construction of the West Suffolk Operational Hub. Seeing the steel frame in place gives a good sense of the sheer amount of work that has been happening to build this important facility. This state-of-the-art hub will bring together a number of operational services all in one place, which will help us manage our waste with increased efficiency in the future.”

Chris Travers, operations director for Morgan Sindall Construction in the East of England, said: “We’re very pleased to be celebrating the completion of the building’s steel super-structure with representatives from our clients, Suffolk County Council, Forest Heath District Council and St Edmundsbury Borough Council, and our project team.

“As this event falls on International Women’s Day, we’re also delighted to have the opportunity to acknowledge the contribution that the women on our team have made in the delivery of this scheme as we mark this key milestone in the project life cycle.

“Our team is making excellent progress in the delivery of this important facility and we’re pleased to have forged strong links with the surrounding communities in the process. We look forward to delivering an excellent facility that is sympathetic to the surrounding environment and will provide high-quality services to people living across the region.”

The site is located close to Bury St Edmunds at Hollow Road Farm in Fornham St Martin and includes a waste transfer station, a split level household waste recycling centre, vehicle depot and a re-use shop facility.